Marketing Strategies for Unilever: A Comparative Analysis

This report discusses the marketing strategies of Unilever, a popular consumer goods company, and compares them with Tesco. It includes an analysis of the marketing mix factors and a marketing plan for Unilever. The report also explores the PESTLE factors, SWOT analysis, segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies. Budget, investment techniques, and monitoring and evaluation methods are also discussed.

UNIT 2: MARKETING
ESSENTIALS

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Comparison of marketing mix factors.........................................................................................3
Marketing plan.............................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is very mandatory and necessary function for an organisation within market
place. In this modern and dynamic world, there is huge competition within each industry and
sector, so that no business can survive in market without conducting different practices of
marketing. Currently most businesses are taking lots of productive steps towards making their
marketing functions very effective to gain huge competitive advantage in market place. This
report discusses marketing function of Unilever. The Unilever is popular British-Dutch consumer
goods company which currently has served in many of countries. This report various marketing
strategies which can support to this consumer goods company for gaining large customer share
within market place, like; 7Ps od marketing mix, STP etc. A very productive marketing plan also
has been included in this report which will positively affect to performance of company in
different market segments.
Comparison of marketing mix factors
To analyses the performance and products and services of an organization so that the
future decisions can be taken is by using marketing mix strategy. Organizations need to
understand the internal and external factors of the business environment so that there is going to
be better functioning (Stephens, 2016). This way the organization will be able to get in
competitive advantage for themselves which will help the company to have higher productivity
in the organization. Unilever analyses with the help of this strategy which is making the
company have higher sales and productivity. Further report is going to consist of marketing mix
factors of Unilever and Tesco.
Marketing
mix element
Unilever Tesco
Price Unilever is using penetration strategy
so that the company will be able to
increase the sales and get competitive
advantage in the market (Sharma,
Ahuja and Alavi, 2018). Due to this
Tesco is focused on mid-range and
high quality of products for the
customers. This is a very good
strategy for Tesco because they will
be able to gain the trust and loyalty

strategy the company has been able to
expand themselves overall and changes
are coming in easily in the
organization. Exchange of currency is
also easy for the company which is
making the company have more sales
and the organization will be able to
have not just more sales but
profitability as well. The company keep
on improving their products and
services so that they can attract more
customers.
of the customers which can be very
helpful for a long run. To have better
functioning the organization will
have to price their products
according to the competitors in the
market so that they will be able to
gain the competitive advantage again
which is going to be very beneficial.
Product Unilever is dealing in products like
food, sweets, baby food, soft drinks,
pet food, frozen pizza, pregnancy,
beauty products, medicine, etc and is
known for the largest manufacture of
soap in the world. To have so many
products the workforce is huge of the
organization and the delivery is being
worked upon so that the organization
can get competitive advantage for a
long run.
Tesco is dealing in products like
clothing, books, toys, furniture, etc
and there are more fields which the
company has expanded themselves
into. The company is having more
products so that they can get the
basic needs of the customers be
fulfilled which is good for
performance and brand image in the
market (Hole, Pawar and Bhaskar,
2018).
People There is faithful workforce which is
hired in the organization so that
changes can come in the organization.
This is going to make the objectives of
the clients be matched and the
reputation of the organization increase.
To have better performance the
planning of the organization is done
according to the employees of the
company so that there is higher
productivity.
Place To increase the sales, Unilever will
have to have collaborations with
Distribution of the products in Tesco
is very efficient which is making the

Amazon, EBay, etc which is going to
help with higher sales.
company have a competitive
advantage which is good for a better
future.
Process Unilever is having a strong networking
in the market which they have gathered
over time and by becoming globally
recognised (THE 7 P’S OF
MARKETING, 2020). The
organization has been able to service
their products and services both online
as well as offline making the customers
find it easier to be able to reach out.
Tesco is focused on the delivery
system they are having so that the
customer’s demands and needs can
be matched. Technology is playing a
very important role in Tesco which
is going to help the satisfaction of
level of the customers so that there is
going to be better functioning.
Promotions To increase the sales and profitability
of the organization, administration has
taken a lot of measures. Right strategies
and modern strategies like online
platforms are being used by Unilever
so that they can reach out to a larger
audience and customer base. There are
VIPs and models as well which are
promoting the products and services of
Unilever so that the customers can get
influenced easily.
Tesco is not having a lot of
promotional strategies which the
organization is using so that there is
going to be higher profitability. The
organization has been using
traditional methods to promote
themselves like television and radio
so that the company will be able to
operate effectively.
Physical
Evidence
Unilever has invested a lot in making
the store get online so that there is
going to be higher satisfaction level of
the customers and the trends and
changes in the market can also be
understood. It is essential for the
company to satisfy the customers and
they are also getting smart and want
Tesco has made more investment in
the market to get online recently
because the company understanding
the importance of getting online so
that there is going to be better
functioning (Rathnayaka, 2018).
Though the company is having a lot
of online presence and better

attractive products and services. The
company will have to work on the
physical evidence of the stores as well
and get in trending designs which can
attract more customers in the
organization (Panigrahi, 2017).
satisfaction in the customers so that
there is going to be better sales and
productivity of the organization is
going to increase.
From the above table it can be concluded that there has to be good analyses of the
products and services of the organization so that there is going to be better functioning and
performance in the company. There is future planning which needs to be done and on this bases
there are going to be lesser risks which are going to be involved in the organization for smoother
functioning (Kayabasi and Mtetwa, 2016).
Marketing plan
Executive Summary
For any new products and services the businesses in the market will have to make this
plan so that there is going to be a better direction which is going to be present. There is a lot of
experience which is required by the business so that there is going to be better functioning.
Objectives
 To increase sales of new product of Unilever by 45% till the end of year 2023.
 To enhance consumer experience by 40% in upcoming 10 months.
 To increase the profitability by 45% till the end of year 2024. To increase the market share of Unilever by 50% till the end of year 2025.
PESTLE
 Political factors
It is very important that there is a stable political power in the country which is present in United
Kingdom which can be of great advantage for Unilever (Hanzaee, Sadeghian and Jalalian, 2019).
Unilever has been taking a lot of advantages of free trade policies in the country which is making
the organization have a good functioning and economic factor of the organization be maintained.
Even the rights of employees and customers are appreciated and implemented in the company on
time.

 Economic factors
There is an increase in the GDP of the country which the company can take advantage of and
make the company increase their pricing for the products and services accordingly. There has to
be comfort and quality of the products have to be high so that the satisfaction of the customers
can be maintained in the organization and make the organization have higher sales.
 Social factors
The trends and expectations of the customers is changing and improving with time and Unilever
is taking care of that factor so that there is going to be higher experience level of the customers
(Moorman and Day, 2016). The values and beliefs of the customers also have to be respected
when new or old product is being moulded in the company for the customers.
 Technological factors
To make the company be able to maintain their reputation and standards in the market the
organization has invested a lot on technological aspect. There is additional information
technology which Unilever has adapted to so that the errors and time consuming processes in the
organization can be left out by the organization for higher satisfaction level and they will also get
loyal to the organization.
 Legal factors
There are a lot of changes which have come in the employment and customer policies in the
country and globally as well which needs to be maintained and implemented so that there is
going to be higher satisfaction level. The company will have to pay right wages and right
environment for the employees of Unilever to work in so that they can give in their personal best
and the organization will be able to maintain their standards and reputation in the market.
 Environmental factors
Zero carbon footprints measures have been taken by Unilever so that there is going to be higher
satisfaction level of the customers which is going to make the portfolio have higher reputation in
the market as well (Wirtz and Lovelock, 2018). There is good planning of the waste disposal
which Unilever is having in the company which can make the company have the support from
the government to be able to operate smoothly in market.
SWOT
 Strengths
Unilever has been operating in the market since 1929 which is 91 years in the market which

makes the company gain a lot of experience and knowledge as well. The changes can come in
easily and the right platform can be used by the company to make the brand image of the
organization improve so that there is going to be better functioning.
 Weaknesses
The right funds is not present in Unilever on time which is a great drawback of the
organization and time consuming processes are then taken into consideration so that the changes
can come in. The company is very much dependent on the retailer’s productivity which is not a
good factor and the sales are going to be limited.
 Opportunities
There are a lot of methods which Unilever is always ready to try so that they can improve the
productivity and operations of the organization so that there is going to be higher performance.
The customers are loyal to Unilever which is why the company can take risks in getting in new
products and services.
 Threats
The competition in the market is huge which makes the sales and profitability of the
organization have limitations which is not good for a long run (Unilever SWOT & PESTLE
Analysis, 2020). The market share is slipping away from Unilever to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, etc
which are developing themselves in the market.
Segmentation, targeting and positioning
 Segmentation
According to psycho graphic and demographic aspect Unilever is focusing on only then the
company is being able to satisfy their customers by getting in new products in the organization.
Gender and age is the first criteria which the organization looks at for their products so that there
is a better planning which the organization can do accordingly (Saenko and et.al., 2016).
 Targeting
The products are then improved according to the quality and services of the customers which
are being targeted. Like the customers for a product like sports wear clothing for women is going
to have better functioning is the comfort factor will be added in the product.
 Positioning
The product is for the upper and middle class females which are going to appreciate the products
as they should be and the efforts behind it as well. They want comfort and this is what Unilever

is going to focus on so that the customers are going to get loyal to the products and services of
the organization which is a great factor for the organization.
Budget
Particulars Amount
Direct Materials £650.00
Labour £350.00
Production £100.00
Marketing and advertising £350.00
Other costs £700.00
Total £3,500.00
Investment techniques
The safest and most secure method or technique which can be used by Unilever is
venture capital for getting in the right funds so that changes will be able to take place effectively.
The competition in the market is rapidly increasing due to which the measures which the
organization is taking they have to be well decided and executed well so that the customers are
going to have a better satisfaction level.
Monitoring and Evaluation
To make sure that the productivity and changes in firm are coming in easily there has to
be a good functioning which needs to be present so that there is going to be good functioning.
Training and development of the employees is very important and the organization will also have
to make sure that even after the training the employees are putting in their personal best
(Petrescu, Krishen and Bui, 2020). Unilever used benchmarking and 360 degree evaluation of the
employees so that they can find out about the progress which has taken place in the organization
and the company will be able to increase their performance in the market effectively and
efficiently.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that there has to be effective planning which is
required in the organization so that there is going to be good performance in the market. The
companies in the market have to maintain their reputation and standards in the market so that
there is going to be stability in economic factor as well as the market share. There are a lot of
strategies which are present in the market which have to be adapted by the organization with
planned strategies and measures so that there is going to be less chances of risks.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Hanzaee, K.H., Sadeghian, M. and Jalalian, S., 2019. Which can affect more? Cause marketing
or cause-related marketing. Journal of Islamic Marketing.
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Kayabasi, A. and Mtetwa, T., 2016. Impact of marketing effectiveness and capabilities, and
export market orientation on export performance. European Business Review.
Moorman, C. and Day, G.S., 2016. Organizing for marketing excellence. Journal of
Marketing. 80(6). pp.6-35.
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Petrescu, M., Krishen, A. and Bui, M., 2020. The internet of everything: implications of
marketing analytics from a consumer policy perspective. Journal of Consumer
Marketing.
Rathnayaka, U., 2018. Role of Digital Marketing in Retail Fashion Industry: A Synthesis of the
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analysis in the field of marketing. Journal of internet commerce. 17(1). pp.26-45.
Stephens, D.L., 2016. Essentials of Consumer Behavior. Taylor & Francis.
Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C., 2018. Service Marketing Communications. WS Professional.
Online
THE 7 P’S OF MARKETING. 2020 .Online. Available Through :<
https://www.targetinternet.com/the-7-ps-of-marketing-what-are-they-and-how-are-
they-used/>.
Unilever SWOT & PESTLE Analysis. 2020. Online. Available Through :<
https://www.swotandpestle.com/unilever/>.